Titan's James Bond Omnibus moved to October release in US

The US release date for the newest release from Titan Books—James Bond: Omnibus Volume 1: The Graphic Novel Collection—has been pushed back to 20 October.

Debuting in the UK on 25 September, this ‘Movie Collection’ volume brings together numerous (11 of them, in fact) different comic strip adventures that have previously been featured in earlier James Bond comic strip collections from Titan.

Limited to original Ian Fleming material, this volume will showcase the work of writers Henry Gammidge, Anthony Hern and Peter O’Donnell and artist John McLusky.

The full blurb follows:

The daring James Bond is back in a definitive bumper edition collecting Ian Fleming’s earliest literary adventures in comic strip form! For the first time, eleven of Bond’s most thrilling and dangerous missions appear in a single volume: “Casino Royale”, “Live and Let Die”, “Moonraker”, “Diamonds are Forever”, “From Russia With Love”, “Dr. No”, “Goldfinger”, “Risico”, “From a View to a Kill”, “For Your Eyes Only” and “Thunderball”!

With an exclusive introduction by Sir Roger Moore, this huge volume features beautiful women, thrilling action, incredible gadgets and the odd Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred…this ultimate collection of Bond’s best is not to be missed.

Pre-order links for James Bond: Omnibus Volume 1: The Graphic Novel Collection follow at the end of this article.

James Bond Encyclopedia available for UK pre-order

The newest edition of the James Bond Encylopedia by John Cork and Collin Stutz is now available to pre-order online from Amazon.co.uk.

This new edition of the Bond encyclopedia will debut in the UK on 1 October, while fans in the US will have to wait just a few weeks later until the 19th rolls around. Retail price is £25.00 / $40.00.

Literary 007 fans will recall that the original edition of the book was first published in late 2007 and included details on all of the James Bond films through 2006’s Casino Royale. This new edition also adds in Daniel Craig’s Quantum of Solace.

The original publisher’s blurb follows:

Created in full collaboration with Eon Productions, producers of the Bond movies, this illustrated celebration of the world’s most famous super-spy examines every aspect of 007’s world, with information on his history, style, and tastes, along with A-Z guides to his adversaries, allies, gadgets, cars, and, of course, the ever-glamorous Bond girls.

John Cork and Collin Stutz authorities on every aspect of the James Bond story, wrote the acclaimed book on the James Bond phenomenon, James Bond: The Legacy, have produced, written and directed 30 special feature documentaries for MGM’s DVD releases of James Bond films, and contributed to The Ultimate James Bond: An Interactive Dossier CD-Rom for MGM Interactive.

• Order the UK hardback edition of James Bond Encyclopedia from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the US hardback edition of James Bond Encyclopedia from Amazon.com

For up-to-the-minute literary James Bond coverage, always turn your browsers to the CommanderBond.net main page. Be sure to check out our new Twitter feed as well.

The Blades Library Book Club: Never Dream of Dying

Welcome back to The Blades Library Book Club – the place for quality discussions of the books of James Bond!

Raymond Benson’s Never Dream of Dying

Every two months a James Bond 007 novel is chosen for the club members to read. A thread is posted in the club forums listing locations on where you can find the novel. Discussions about the book will go on as the book is read and when it is finished. Another thread will be created so that club members can post their review and give a rating on the current book.

All fans of the Literary Bond are eligible for membership. All you need to do to sign up is register on the CBn Forums (it’s free and only takes a minute) and then post your name in the sign up thread.

The Book Club’s 34th Book

We are progressing though the James Bond 007 novels in chronological order, since quite a number of members are using the club as an opportunity to read the books for the very first time.
After moving through the Bond novels by Ian Fleming, Kingsley Amis and John Gardner, the club most recently embarked upon the Raymond Benson Bond era and now continues with his fifth novel: 2001’s Never Dream of Dying.

Obtaining The Book

Ordering online should be fairly easy. Never Dream of Dying can be ordered online (although in used condition) from the following sources:

• Amazon.co.uk
• Amazon.com
• eBay

Discuss other places to buy Never Dream of Dying or where you got your copy in this thread.

Discuss The Book While Reading

Want to talk about the book while reading it? Post a new thread in The Blades Library.

Review And Rate The Book

After you have finished reading Never Dream of Dying, you can discuss it with other club members in The Blades Library, and give the book your personal rating out of five in this thread.

If you have any questions or suggestions just post them in a new thread. Happy reading.

*New* Archive Of All Past Read Books

Additionally, club members can review or comment on any of the past read books in the club any time they want. Click here for the full archive of the past read books in the club.

Previous Books Read

• Doubleshot: June 2009 – July 2009
• High Time To Kill: April 2009 – May 2009
• The Facts of Death: February 2009 – March 2009
• Zero Minus Ten: December 2008 – January 2009
• COLD: October 2008 – November 2008
• SeaFire: August 2008 – September 2008
• Never Send Flowers: June 2008 – July 2008
• Death Is Forever: April 2008 – May 2008
• The Man From Barbarossa: February 2008 – March 2008
• Brokenclaw: December 2007 – January 2008
• Win, Lose Or Die: October 2007 – November 2007
• Scorpius: August 2007 – September 2007
• No Deals, Mr. Bond: June 2007 – July 2007
• Nobody Lives Forever: April 2007 – May 2007
• Role Of Honour: February 2007 – March 2007
• Icebreaker: December 2006 – January 2007
• For Special Services: October 2006 – November 2006
• Licence Renewed: August 2006 – September 2006
• Colonel Sun: June 2006 – July 2006
• Octopussy & The Living Daylights: April 2006 – May 2006
• The Man With The Golden Gun: February 2006 – March 2006
• You Only Live Twice: December 2005 – January 2006
• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: October 2005 – November 2005
• The Spy Who Loved Me: August 2005 – September 2005
• Thunderball: June 2005 – July 2005
• For Your Eyes Only: April 2005 – May 2005
• Goldfinger: February 2005 – March 2005
• Doctor No: December 2004 – January 2005
• From Russia, With Love: September 2004 – November 2004
• Diamonds Are Forever: July 2004 – August 2004
• Moonraker: May 2004 – June 2004
• Live and Let Die: May 2003 – June 2003
• Casino Royale: March 2003 – April 2003

Arise Sir Sean Connery arrives in paperback in US

The new paperback edition of John Parker’s Arise Sir Sean Connery: The Biography of Britain’s Greatest Living Actor is now available in the US.

Originally published in hardback in 2005, this paperback edition of the biography of the first James Bond star is published by John Blake and retails for $14.95.

The official blurb:

Arise Sir Sean Connery: The Biography of Britain’s Greatest Living Actor

Sean Connery is one of the world’s true superstars, applauded by critics and filmgoers alike.

Now, John Parker traces the rise to stardom of the tough Edinburgh street kid, who left school at the age of 13. Arriving in London with gold teeth and tattoos to seek his fortune in the meat market of bodybuilding, Connery fought against snobbery to become a self-taught Shakespearean actor. Then came the big break. Auditioning for the part of James Bond, he told producers with typical bluntness how Bond should be played, and it landed him the job–and overnight stardom. Connery went on to become one of the world’s most versatile, highly paid actors, winning an Oscar for his role in The Untouchables. Here, John Parker offers an engaging portrait of one of the most glamorous, talented, and complex actors in movie history.

• Order the US paperback edition of Arise Sir Sean Connery: The Biography of Britain’s Greatest Living Actor from Amazon.com

Keep turning to the CommanderBond.net main page–as well as our brand new Twitter feed–for all the latest James Bond news and coverage.

The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader available in US

Following a June release in the UK, the second edition of Christoph Lindner’s The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader has now been released this month in the US.

Originally published in the UK and US at the end of 2003, The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader features various essays examining from different perspectives the cultural icon that 007 has become.

This new edition of The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader is published in paperback by Manchester University Press. At 272 pages in length, it retails for £14.99 / $24.95. Pre-order links follow at the end of this article.

The book’s original blurb follows:

The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader (2nd ed.)

Sean Connery’s tuxedo, Ursula Andress’ bikini, Oddjob’s bowler hat, and Q’s gadgets are just a few defining features of the 007 world examined in this text. Drawn from the fields of literary, film, music and cultural studies, the essays in this collection range from revitalized readings of Ian Fleming’s spy novels to the analysis of Pussy Galore’s lesbianism, Miss Monneypenny’s filmic feminism and Pierce Brosnan’s techno-fetishism.

Together the essays not only consider the James Bond novels and films in relation to their historical, political and social contexts, from the Cold-War period onwards, but also examine the classic bond canon from an array of theoretical perspectives. What the text aims to show is that there is much more to the 007 series than cheap thrills, fast cars and beautiful women.

With essays by Umberto Eco, Tony Bennett, Tara Brabazon, Toby Miller and Jim Leach, among others, Lindner illustrates not only how the Bond character has conquered the globe, but has sustained its pre-eminence across six decades. Starting with the original books and moving through the films, the music and the marketing, this study should be of use to students of film, media, popular literature, marketing and cultural studies.

• Order the paperback edition of The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader (2nd ed.) from Amazon.co.uk
• Order the paperback edition of The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader (2nd ed.) from Amazon.com

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest literary 007 coverage.

Additional Ian Fleming James Bond paperbacks on Amazon.co.uk

Octopussy and The Living Daylights cover

A few new listings have appeared on Amazon.co.uk for the 2009 centenary paperback printings of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels.

Originally published in hardback under the Penguin 007 imprint with striking new cover designs by artist Michael Gillette, these editions were quickly coveted by fans and went out of print after just a few months following their May 2008 release.

In addition to the 007 titles already available on online book sites such as Amazon, literary Bond fans can now also pre-order Casino Royale, Doctor No and Octopussy and The Living Daylights, all set for release on 1 October 2009.

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for the most up-to-date literary James Bond coverage on the web.

Ian Fleming died this day in 1964 after a heart attack

45 years ago today, Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, died of a heart attack at the age of 56.

As nearly all 007 fans are aware, Fleming’s legacy lives on today around the world through the films, books, fan events and lifestyles one attributes to ‘Bond, James Bond’.

The Guardian newspaper has dug into their archives and reprinted the 13 August 1964 report which marked the news and also bid farewell to secret agent 007…

Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming, the author and creator of James Bond, died in the Kent and Canterbury Hospital early yesterday following a heart attack. He was 56.

Leader: 007 – man or brute?

In his time, Bond was attacked by giant squid, hauled naked across razor-edged coral rocks and almost pulled apart by a rack-like apparatus. Always he survived to tell the tale; and returned, appetite undiminished, to his cars, his meals, and his girls. Yet even Bond, one imagines, can hardly survive his creator: 007 has bitten the dust at last.

But before he finally disappears he deserves at least a farewell glance. Bond was a symbol of the times. He appealed unashamedly to two powerful instincts: snobbery, and the latent sadomasochism which is present beneath the surface of all civilisations. Charged with this, his creator gave two replies. Bond’s snob-appeal he claimed as unintentional. In his first book he had given Bond a good meal—and what was wrong with that?—and the readers had clamoured for more. As for the sex, Bond was just a great, big, virile he-man whose healthy masculinity upset his critics because they lacked it themselves. These answers were, and are, unconvincing. Bond never fussed about the old school tie; and he would not have won millions of readers if he had…[continue reading]

The Guardian

Fleming was buried in the churchyard of the small Sevenhampton village, located in Wiltshire.

Read on for related CommanderBond.net articles centering on Ian Fleming and James Bond…

• James Bond Turns Up In The Strangest Of Places / Commemorating the centenary of Ian Fleming
• An Appreciation of Ian Fleming / Duncan Elliott examines the life of the author and the impact of his creation
• CommanderBond.net: Ian Fleming’s James Bond (1953 – 1966)

Keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest James Bond-related news.

New release dates for Sean Connery Visual Biography

As first reported on CommanderBond.net in February, a new biography centering on Sir Sean Connery is due to be released this year. We can now report that the release dates for the book have been updated in both the UK and US to 25 August and 1 September, respectively.

Sean Connery is a visual biography by Alain Silver and edited by Paul Duncan that is apart of the ‘Movie Icons’ series–photography books that feature the most famous personalities in the history of cinema.

To be published by Taschen, this 192-page paperback will retail for £5.99/$9.99 and can currently be pre-ordered online (order link follows after the blurb).

Sean Connery Visual Biography

Why is the only non-American on the AFI prestigious list a Scotsman? Perhaps it’s because Sean Connery career, as international in its scope as it may have been, as global as may have been his appeal, made him a “genuine movie star” without any petty disputation, pretension, or pandering to current fashion.

Indisputably, Connery’s incarnation of James Bond catapulted him to stardom and lay the foundation for the most successful franchise in motion picture history. Together Bond and Connery became larger-than-life; but it was Connery, not Bond, whose powerful presence went on to permeate scores of other roles. Connery can be as cool and charismatic as Steve McQueen, as elegant as Katherine Hepburn, or as generous as Frank Sinatra.

Movie Icons is a series of photo books that feature the most famous personalities in the history of cinema. These 192-page books are visual biographies of the stars.

• Order Sean Connery from Amazon.co.uk
• Order Sean Connery from Amazon.com

Stay tuned to CommanderBond.net for all the latest literary James Bond news.

The Girl Machine James Bond collection delayed again

James Bond fans in the US are going to have to wait just a little while longer for the release of Titan’s latest 007 comic strip collection, The Girl Machine.

The title, which was originally set for a mid-July release and then pushed back to August has been delayed yet again, this time to 8 September. It is currently available to pre-order from Amazon.com at 30% off the $19.95 list price. Pre-order links follow at the end of this article.

The Girl Machine brings together the Beware Of Butterflies and The Nevsky Nude adventures in addition to the title story. All three were penned by Jim Lawrence and drawn by Yaroslav Horak and originally syndicated in 1973/74.

Titan’s The Girl Machine James Bond collection

The legend continues! Stand by for more adventures with the world’s greatest and most famous secret agent, James Bond, as some of his most thrilling missions are collected for the first time ever in a deluxe collectors’ library edition! This bumper action-packed volume collects ultra rare Bond stories that have not been seen since their original syndication between 1973-74: The Girl Machine, Beware of Butterflies and The Nevsky Nude. Plus a brand new celebrity introduction and an exclusive selection of recently unearthed James Bond comic strip artwork that has never before seen print, this latest essential volume is not to be missed!

Keep watching the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for the most up-to-date illustrated James Bond coverage on the web.

James Bond is pure gold for MI6 recruitment

James Bond has been ‘pure gold’ in helping to recruit MI6 agents abroad, the former head of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) has said.

Ian Fleming

The Telegraph reports that Ian Fleming’s incredibly popular creation has also been good for morale in the service, according to Sir Colin McColl, who ran MI6 from 1989 to 1994.

Speaking with the BBC, he also praised fellow author John le Carré, whose spy works have also proven to valuable, because they made the public think about the job.

‘It’s absolute gold,’ he said. ‘It spreads the name, the brand, but also the feeling that you’re good, that you know a lot.’

When asked if he thought James Bond in particular had been useful to the SIS, he said: ‘Oh absolutely. It keeps the name going. Everybody watches Bond, so why shouldn’t a little bit of Bond rub off on our reputation?’ However, he was quick to point out that the exploits of 007 weren’t exactly in line with the real-life job description. ‘We’re not in the business of going out and shooting people in dark alleys,’ he said.

Speaking about le Carré’s work, such as 1974’s Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, he said: ‘There were two feelings in the service over the years. There were those who were furious with John le Carré because he depicts everybody as disagreeable characters, always plotting against each other. But actually, I thought it was terrific because it gave us another couple of generations of being in some way special.’

Keep your browsers locked on the CommanderBond.net main page—and our brand new Twitter feed—for all the latest James Bond-related news.